Introduction

Moira is a tiny village in the north of Goa. It is located in Bardez district/taluka and lies 5 km towards the east of the town of Mapusa. Moira is surrounded by the villages of Bastora, Uccassaim, Nachinola, Aldona, and separated from the village of Tivim by a branch of the river Mondovi. Moira is divided into 9 wards namely Attafondem, Bambordem, Calizor, Canturlim, Novo Portugal, Pirazona, Povacao, Raint, and Santaporio. There are around 500 houses with a mixed population of Christians and Hindus numbering around 5000. The residents of the village are known as Moidekars. Originally the landscape of the village was dotted with tiled houses or small bungalows but the greed of the local builders is gradually ruining the village with concrete buildings. The basic occupation of the villagers is farming. The agricultural produce mainly consists of rice in the rainy season and vegetables and fruits at other times. Besides being known for its Chilies and Cajuns Moira is especially famous for its unique variety of Bananas. Moira is also well known for its carpenters and carpentry products. A notable portion of the villagers are expatriates in the Middle East. Many Moidekars have migrated to foreign countries like USA, UK, Canada, Australia, etc. Of late there is a noticeable presence of migrants from all over India. As Moidekars are getting westernized Moira is getting Indianized. Residents of all religions coexist here with mutual affection and communal harmony.